Sinn Fein Councillor Jonathan O'Brien has called on all members
at tonight's meeting of Cork Corporation to support a motion
calling on the Minister for the Environment to keep waste
management ``in the control of democratically-elected
councillors''.

Cllr O'Brien's move follows media reports that Environment and
Local Government Minister Noel Dempsey wants to strip councillors
of their powers and give decision making on waste management
plans to city and county managers instead.

The Sinn Fein motion calls on the Environment Minister ``to
continue to support the concept of local democracy by allowing
the responsibility for waste management to reside with
democratically-elected local authorities, not with unaccountable
officials''. Cllr O'Brien urged all-party support for the motion.
He said:

``A waste management policy is most effective if it is formed and
supported by local people. The formation of policy is best done
by locally-elected representatives with the support of local
people, not by unaccountable officials.''